Switching to Reusables

Zero waste has helped raise my awareness of the various environmental implications that arise when I purchase a new item. This includes the resources used to make the item, the waste produced in the manufacturing and packaging, as wells as the conditions present for the workers. Every time I buy something new, I send a message to the manufacturer that screams ‘Make more!’ I now think of my dollars as votes, and every time I cast one, I'm trying to be sure that I'm voting for something produced in a sustainable manner. I don't always succeed in this endeavor, but I'm trying.

With this awareness in mind, I realized early in my journey that there were certain things I needed to buy in order to replace disposables with reusables. I tried finding them second hand, which avoids all the waste from buying new, but the things I needed weren't available that way:

Mesh bags for produce, cotton bags for dry bulk, and a bread bag- 

Purchased through Amazon. These bags live in my car in one of my grocery totes. I also keep certain produce stored in the mesh and cotton bags in the refrigerator. The bakery has no problem putting a fresh loaf of bread into my bag, although getting it sliced too has been tricky. The bread stays very fresh in the bag for a few days on the counter, then I slice what's leftover for storage in the freezer in the same bag.

The green beans and mushrooms will store in the produce
drawer in the bags, the lemons and avocados stay loose on
the counter until ripe, the nuts and pretzels go into glass
jars with air tight lids, bread goes in the freezer.

Skoy towels-

Purchased through Amazon. These are advertised as a replacement for paper towels, but they replaced my sponge for wiping off tables, counters, and dishes.

These are over a year old and
still going strong. They go in
the washing machine for cleaning.

Misto-

Purchased in store at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with minimal packaging. It replaced Pam. I debated for a long time before buying this, thinking I could get by without it, but there were too many times that a spray of oil was just what I needed. I wish I hadn’t waited for so long, it’s a great product. 

Sil-pat baking sheet-

Purchased in store at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with minimal packaging. Replaced tin foil and parchment paper for non-stick baking.

Re-chargeable batteries-

Purchased through Amazon. Our previous experience with re-chargeables from about 7 years ago wasn’t good, so we had gotten back in the habit of buying regular batteries. I read a lot of reviews about the current battery options and decided to go with Eneloop rechargeables. Our experience this time around has been very good.

Along with the new purchases, I also took a few things away without directly replacing them:

Ziploc bags, tin foil, cling wrap, wax paper-

I was sure I would need some of these things from time to time, so I put them in a box and placed them on a shelf in my laundry room. I haven’t looked in that box since early 2013. (I will give more details about how I get by without these things in a later post, but I basically ran to Google anytime I encountered a situation where I would normally use a disposable item and asked how to do it waste-free.)

I made other additions and subtractions, but many people have asked me to go slowly with the changes. I’m doing my best to remember the order in which I did everything, however, motherhood hasn't been kind to my memory. I'm at the point where I need a daily alarm on my phone to remind me to feed the dog in the morning. Even with that, he frequently doesn’t get fed until noon.

Thanks for stopping by,
Allison



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